Pipe stabilizer



March 19, 1968 o. WLFROGGE RIPE STABILIZER 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed March 9. 1966 Off/J W. Froyge INVENTOR.

, ATTORNf) March 19, 1968 o. w. FROGGE PIPE STABILIZER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 9, 1966 m Q 2 Thu y INVENTOR.

A TTORN Y March 19, 1968 0. W. FROG GE PIPE STABILIZER 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 9, 1966 Off/s W. Fr'agge INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,373,881 PIPE STABILIZER Ottis W. Frogge, Oklahoma City, Okla., assignor to M-C-M Machine Works, Inc., Oklahoma City, Okla., a corporation of Oklahoma Filed Mar. 9, 1966, Ser. No. 533,035 7 Claims. (Cl. 214-2.5)

This invention pertains to tubing stabilizers used to position a length of well tubing coaxially above another length of well tubing to facilitate screwing them together. Previously known devices of this type are shown in US. Patents 1,540,245 (Bergsten) and 2,926,891 (Holt).

A principal object of the invention is to provide a stabilizer having jaws which remain fully open While the arm is being elevated to position the jaws around the tubing, and in which the jaws will fully open prior to the arm being lowered away from the tubing.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved form of tubing stabilizer which will be reliable in operation, economical to manufacture, and simple to use.

According to the invention a bracket is clamped to the well rig mast/The bracket carries a pivotally mounted arm. The arm carries pivotally mounted jaws adapted to extend around a length of tubing (or other pipe or a rod). A trigger lever connected to the jaws for moving them between open and closed positions is pivotally -mounted on the arm. The jaws are normally held open by a spring connected to one end of the trigger lever. A cable is connected at one end to the other end of the trigger lever. The cable runs over a pulley on the end of the arm opposite from the jaws. A pull on the cable elevates the arm. The weight of the arm is such that the cable pull needed to lift the arm is less than that needed to overcome the spring'to close the jaws. When the arm is elevated, as far as it will go, striking a stop, and the jaws are positioned around the tubing (or other elongated member) a further pull on the cable overcomes the spring and moves the jaws to closed position. Release of the cable tension allows the spring to open the jaws and then a rig pole or mast 10. Two U-bolts 11, 12 extend around 'the mast and pass through flanges 14, 15 on bracket 16 and are held by nuts 17, 18, 19, 20. The bracket 16 has a V-shaped portion forming a saddle 21 to engage the mast and a front plate 22 to support arm 23. Plate 22' is connected to saddle 21 by sides 24, 25.

A lead screw is mounted in sides 24, 25 for rotation but is held against axial movement by bearings 31, 32, 33, 34. A crank is provided on one end of the lead screw for manually rotating same. The lead screw passes through nut 36 fixedly mounted in a flange 37. Flange 37 is connected to slide plate 39 which lies fiat against front plate 22 of the bracket 16. When crank 35 is turned, slide plate 39 moves over the surface of front plate 22 parallel to the axis of lead screw 30.

Slide plate 39 has a slot 41 through it. A shouldered bolt 42 extends through hole 41 and is held fixedly to plate 39 by nut 43. Bolt 42, which has a head 44, extends through a slot 45 in front plate 22.

3,373,881 Patented Mar. 19, 1968 The bolt 42 provides means pivotally supporting arm 23. The lead screw and nut, slide plate, and slotted front plate provide means for laterally adjustably positioning the arm supporting means relative to the mast. The U bolt and bracket provide means for axially adjustably positioning the arm supporting means relative to the mast. There is a pivot pin 60 at one end of arm 23. Jaws 61, 62 are pivotally mounted on pin 60 by means of bearings 63, 64. The bearings are retained between head 65 of pin 60 and a washer. A nut 67 pulls shoulder 68 on pin 60 down against the washer and the end 68 of arm 23.

The ends 70, 71 of the jaws 61, 62 are adapted to overlap in the closed position, as shown in full lines in FIG- URE 2.

laws 61, 62 each have a semi-circular groove 80, 81 and when in closed position form a complete ring around a length of tubing 82, thus providing means to stabilize the position of the tubing. There is an annular space 83 between the tubing and jaws so that the tubing is free to turn whereby it can be screwed into another length of tubing therebelow.

The jaws 61, 62 have ears 90, 91 to which links 92, 93 are pivotally connected. The links 92, 93 are in turn pivotally connected to actuator bar 95. Bar 95 is mounted to slide longitudinally on a T-head guide 96 which prevents it from moving away from arm 23. T-head guide 96 is secured to arm 23 by casting the latter around the guide, the casting extending through holes 97.

A trigger lever 100 is pivotally mounted in an aperture 101 in arm 23. One end of lever 100 is pivotally connected to link 96 which in turn is pivotally connected to bar 95. Pivotal movement of lever 100 moves the jaws between open and closed position.

A tension coil spring 102 is connected at one end to link 96 and at the other end to anchor 103 secured to arm 23. The spring 102 biases the jaws to open position. The feature of the invention is the stiffness of the spring. The spring is stiff enough so that a cable 105 secured to trigger 100 can be pulled hard enough to raise arm 23 without closing the jaws 61, 62. Cable 105 passes over a pulley 106 rotatably mounted on the tail 106 extending from ann 23 away from jaws 61, 62. Only when enough down-ward pull has been exerted on cable 105 suflicient to elevate arm 23 and bring it to rest against stop 107 can enough tension be exerted by cable 105 to overcome spring 102 and move the trigger 100 to close the jaws 61, 62.

Stop 107 is a bolt which can be screwed into or out of socket 108 to adjust the position of the stop, thereby providing adjustable means to limit the pivotal travel of arm 23. Socket 108 is bolted to front plate 22 of the bracket 16.

As shown in FIGURE 1B, the cable 105 is connected at its other end to a pivotally mounted handle 110 whereby the end of the cable can be raised or lowered. A dog -111 is slidably mounted on handle 110. A link 112 is pivotally connected at one end to dog 111 and at the other end to arm 113 of a bell crank 114. Bell crank 114 is pivotally mounted on handle 110. The other arm 115 of the bell crank provides a finger grip extending parallel to handle 110 for actuating dog 111. A compression coil spring 116 is connected at one end to link 112 and at the other end bears against stop 117 on handle 110.

Dog 111 is adapted to engage arcuate ratchet 120 fixed to plate 121. Plate 121, suitably secured to the mast, also provides means for pivotally mounting handle 110 on the mast. Spring 116 provides means to bias the dog 111 into engagement with ratchet 120 thereby normally preventing upward movement of handle 110. Squeezing finger grip 115 toward handle 110 pulls dog 11 1 out of engagement with ratchet 120 to allow the handle to be elevated.

In place of the handle 160, a hydraulic piston and cylinder or other power means, often available on a rig may be used to actuate cable 105 up and down.

If desired, instead of using a bracket to provide a support means for the pivotal arm, the arm could be sup ported directly on the mast if the rig were so built. In other words, the stabilizer could be made as an integral part of the rig instead of as an attachment.

Although a cable has been shown for exerting a torque on the arm 23 to elevate it, other torque means could be used "for the same purpose. The connection of the torque means to the arm must be such as to also exert a force on the jaws tending to close them as the torque means acts to elevate the arm, and the spring 23 or other spring means biasing the jaw means to open position must be strong enough to keep the jaws open until the arm is fully elevated.

It is to be observed that it is the stop means 107 which, by preventing further upward travel of arm 23, enables enough force to be exerted on the torque means (cable 105) to overcome spring 102 and close the jaw means (jaws 61, 62).

It is also to be noted that the spring means 102 can either be made very stilt so that initial stretching thereof by the force exerted thereon while the arm 23 is elevated is very slight, or else that the spring means 102 can be made short enough so that it is prestressed as assembled, with trigger lever 100 pressed hard against the sides of the opening 101 in arm 23 and turned as far as possible clockwise as viewed in FIGURE 3, the prestress exceeding the force exerted thereon by the cable 105 when elevating the arm 23, thereby to prevent the jaws from closing until the arm hits the stop.

When using the apparatus, a length of tubing will be picked up with the usual elevators and stood on end with its pin resting in the coupling of another length of tubing suspended, e.g. by slips, in a bowl in the rig floor. The cable 105 is pulled down which raises arm 23 until jaws 61 and 62 are around the upper length of tubing. The cable 105 is pulled farther to close jaws 61, 62. The elevator is slacked off and the upper length of tubing screwed into the lower length of tubing. Jaws 61, 62 stabilize the upper end of the upper length of tubing during make up. The elevators being slacked off would permit the tubing to sway were it not for the stabilizer. When the tubing is made up the cable 105 is released, jaws 61, 62 open, and arm 23 drops down out of the way so that the tubing can be lowered into the well and another length of tubing can be positioned for make up. The process is then repeated.

Although 'a preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, variations thereof can be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

That being claimed is:

1. A stabilizer including an arm pivotally mounted for motion between a lower position and an upper position,

jaw means pivotally mounted on the arm,

spring means holding said jaws in open position while said arm moves between said positions,

torque means to rotate said arm from said lower to said upper position, stop means to block the travel of reaches said upper position, and

means connecting said torque means to said jaw means to move said jaw means to closed position upon further actuation of said torque means but only after said torque means has moved said arm to said upper position against said stop,

said spring means exerting sufficient force to keep said jaw means fully open during the entire motion of said arm from said lower to said upper position despite the action of said torque means thereon tending to close the jaws during elevation of said arm from said lower to said upper position.

2. Combination according to claim 1 wherein said means connecting the torque means to the jaw means includes a member slidably mounted on said arm, one part of said member being connected tosaid jaws, another part of said member being connected to said spring, and said torque means includes a pulley mounted on a tail portion of said arm extending therefrom away from said jaw means and a cable connected at one end to said slidable member and passing over said pulley.

3. Combination according to claim 2 wherein said arm is pivotally mounted on a bracket adapted for connection to a mast and said cable is connected to means for raising and lowering the end of the cable, the last said means comprising a handle pivotally mounted on a plate also adapted to be connected to the mast, and including a dog and ratchet means to hold the cable against elevation thereof until the dog and ratchet means is released.

4. Combination according to claim 2 wherein said means connecting the torque means to the jaw means closes said jaw means when said slidable member is moved toward said jaw means, said spring means is a tension spring tending to pull said slidable member away from said jaw means, and said cable is connected to said slidable member by means or a trigger lever pivotally mounted on said arm, one arm of said lever being connected to said slidable member and the other arm to said cable.

5. Combination of claim 4 wherein said slidable member is connected to said jaw means by a pair of links, each link being pivotally connected at one part to said slidable member and at another part to one of said jaws.

6. Combination according to claim 1 wherein said j'aw means each is an arcuate member of over degrees extent whereby said jaws overlap in the closed position.

7. Combination according to claim 1 with means for connecting said arm to a mast adjustable both axially and laterally relative to the mast to accommodate both variable lengths of tubing and variable spacing of mast and well.

said arm when it References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner.

' F. E. WERNER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A STABILIZER INCLUDING AN ARM PIVOTALLY MOUNTED FOR MOTION BETWEEN A LOWER POSITION AND AN UPPER POSITION, JAW MEANS PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON THE ARM, SPRING MEANS HOLDING SAID JAWS IN OPEN POSITION WHILE SAID ARM MOVES BETWEEN SAID POSITIONS, TORQUE MEANS TO ROTATE SAID ARM FROM SAID LOWER TO SAID UPPER POSITION, STOP MEANS TO BLOCK THE TRAVEL OF SAID ARM WHEN IT REACHES SAID UPPER POSITION, AND MEANS CONNECTING SAID TORQUE MEANS TO SAID JAW MEANS TO MOVE SAID JAW MEANS TO CLOSED POSITION UPON FURTHER ACTUATION OF SAID TORQUE MEANS BUT ONLY AFTER SAID TORQUE MEANS HAS MOVED SAID ARM TO SAID UPPER POSITION AGAINST SAID STOP, SAID SPRING MEANS EXERTING SUFFICIENT FORCE TO KEEP SAID JAW MEANS FULLY OPEN DURING THE ENTIRE MOTION OF SAID ARM FROM SAID LOWER TO SAID UPPER POSITION DESPITE THE ACTION OF SAID TORQUE MEANS THEREON TENDING TO CLOSE THE JAWS DURING ELEVATION OF SAID ARM FROM SAID LOWER TO SAID UPPER POSITION. 